The end of the room service in New York

After the New York Hilton Midtown announced it would discontinue room service, industry experts are whispering that this may be an indicator of things to come. The largest hotel in the city with almost 2,000 rooms, the Hilton Midtown is viewed as an industry leader. As such, the move will be watched carefully. Other hotels, such as New York’s stylish Hudson Hotel, are already delivering meals only in brown paper bags – basic ones. Of course it’s not likely that the Plaza or any of its contemporaries will do anything similar, but hotels with the Plaza’s status are not the norm. Most of the city’s hotels will probably eliminate room service if they stand to save money off of it. Just the Hilton’s move will eliminate 55 jobs – which is what has the hospitality industry worried.

With over 50 million tourists coming to the city each year, the city owes over 300,000 jobs to the New York tourism industry. New hotels are being built every year, but industry veterans are worried that this may not translate to new jobs – which the city still needs. If room services goes the way of the horse and buggy, a lot of New Yorkers would be left without jobs. Of course cutting jobs to make more money for those on the higher end of the socioeconomic spectrum is nothing new. This, however, would be pretty drastic. It would affect a large group of people out once (thousands) and alter a historic service that hotel guests everywhere have enjoyed for centuries. Oh well, there’s nothing to do now but just sit and wait.. In the meantime, enjoy your room service if you still have it!